Electronic device and method for identifying product based on near field communication

ABSTRACT

A method for identifying information on an external electronic device based on near field communication (NFC). The method includes transmitting a signal of an NFC band to the external electronic device; identifying whether the external electronic device is capable of NFC, requesting an NFC identifier (ID) from the external electronic device, and receiving the NFC ID from the external electronic device; receiving the NFC ID, reading a unique identifier from the NFC ID, and identifying a communication protocol type; identifying flag information included in the NFC ID; and determining whether the external electronic device is initially recognized and/or normally recognized through the flag information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 toKorean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0158980 filed on Dec. 3, 2019 inthe Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which isherein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

Various embodiments of the disclosure relate to an electronic device anda method for identifying a product based on near field communication.

2. Description of Related Art

After a product is produced by a manufacturer, a unique identifier (ID)can be assigned to the product for distribution and management of theproduct. The unique ID of the product may be attached to the body of theproduct or the packaging of the product in the form of a printedbarcode. However, when the unique ID is attached to the product in theform of a printed barcode, there is a problem that the beauty of theproduct is damaged or the unique ID is damaged due to carelessness inthe distribution process.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the disclosure. No assertion is made, asto whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regardto the disclosure.

SUMMARY

An electronic device and a method of identifying a product based onshort-range wireless communication according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may determine a unique ID of a product by usingshort-range wireless communication included in the product or theelectronic device, and may transmit the determined unique ID to a linkeddatabase management device.

An electronic device and a method of identifying a product based onshort-range wireless communication according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may identify a product unique ID by utilizing near fieldcommunication (NFC) included in the product or the electronic device,and may transmit the identified product unique ID to another electronicdevice by using a human interface device (HID) connection.

A method of identifying information on an external electronic devicebased on near field communication (NFC) according to various embodimentsof the disclosure may include: transmitting a signal of an NFC band tothe external electronic device; identifying whether the externalelectronic device is capable of NFC, requesting an NFC identifier fromthe external electronic device, and receiving the NFC identifier fromthe external electronic device; receiving the NFC identifier, reading aunique identifier from the NFC identifier, and identifying acommunication protocol type; identifying flag information included inthe NFC identifier; and determining whether the external electronicdevice is initially recognized and/or normally recognized through theflag information.

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosuremay include: a communication module configured to include an NFC module;a memory; and a processor, wherein the processor transmits a signal ofan NFC band to an external electronic device through the NFC module;identifies whether the external electronic device is capable of NFC,requests an NFC ID from the external electronic device through the NFCmodule, and receives the NFC ID from the external electronic device;receives the NFC identifier, reads a unique ID from the NFC ID toidentify a communication protocol type; identifies flag informationincluded in the NFC identifier; and determines whether the externalelectronic device is initially recognized and/or normally recognizedthrough the flag information.

An electronic device and a method for identifying a product based on NFCaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure may identify a uniqueID of a product using a communication device included in the product orthe electronic device without attaching a printed label such as abarcode to the product or the electronic device for identifying theunique ID of the product, whereby it is possible to stably identify theunique ID of the product without fear of damage to a printed label suchas a barcode for identifying the unique ID of the product which mayoccur during distribution of the product or the electronic device.

An electronic device and a method for identifying a product based on NFCaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure may identify a uniqueID of a product using a communication device included in the product orthe electronic device, and may transmit product information to adatabase by utilizing HID information, thereby identifying the unique IDof the product at a high speed.

An electronic device and a method for identifying a product based on NFCaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure may identify a uniqueID of a product using a communication device included in the product orthe electronic device without attaching a printed label with the uniqueID to the product or the electronic device, whereby it is possible toreduce costs for labeling and for label maintenance.

An electronic device and a method for identifying a product based on NFCaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure may identify a uniqueID of a product using a communication device included in the product orthe electronic device, whereby a printed label such as a barcode foridentifying the unique ID of the product is not separately attached tothe product or the electronic device to improve the aesthetics of theproduct.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may beadvantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases usedthroughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” aswell as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term“or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and“associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean toinclude, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be containedwithin, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with,cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to orwith, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller”means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least oneoperation, such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware orsoftware, or some combination of at least two of the same. It should benoted that the functionality associated with any particular controllermay be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely.

Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented orsupported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed fromcomputer readable program code and embodied in a computer readablemedium. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or morecomputer programs, software components, sets of instructions,procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or aportion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computerreadable program code. The phrase “computer readable program code”includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code,and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes anytype of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as readonly memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, acompact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type ofmemory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired,wireless, optical, or other communication links that transporttransitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computerreadable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored andmedia where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as arewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device.

Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout thispatent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understandthat in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, aswell as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumerals represent like parts:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example electronic device in anetwork environment according to various embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example wireless communicationmodule, a power management module, and an antenna module of anelectronic device according to various embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an example electronic deviceaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of an example operation for an electronicdevice to identify a product ID of an external electronic deviceaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5A illustrates a flowchart of an example a method for an electronicdevice to identify information on an external electronic device based onNFC according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5B illustrates a flowchart of an example method for an electronicdevice to identify information on an external electronic device based onNFC according to various embodiments of the disclosure; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram an example external electronic deviceaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 through 6, discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of the present disclosure in this patentdocument are by way of illustration only and should not be construed inany way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the artwill understand that the principles of the present disclosure may beimplemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example electronic device 101in a network environment 100 according to various embodiments. Referringto FIG. 1, the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 maycommunicate with an electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g.,a short-range wireless communication network), or an electronic device104 or a server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., a long-rangewireless communication network). According to an embodiment, theelectronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 viathe server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101may include a processor 120, memory 130, an input device 150, a soundoutput device 155, a display device 160, an audio module 170, a sensormodule 176, an interface 177, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180,a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module190, a subscriber identification module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module197. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device 160 orthe camera module 180) of the components may be omitted from theelectronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added inthe electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the componentsmay be implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, thesensor module 176 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or anilluminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device160 (e.g., a display).

The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 101 coupled with theprocessor 120, and may perform various data processing or computation.According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing orcomputation, the processor 120 may load a command or data received fromanother component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communicationmodule 190) in volatile memory 132, process the command or the datastored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting data innon-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g.,a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), asensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that isoperable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor121. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may beadapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or to bespecific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may beimplemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 160,the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among thecomponents of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data or output data for a command relatedthereto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, oran application 146.

The input device 150 may receive a command or data to be used by othercomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputdevice 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard,or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output device 155 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record, and the receivermay be used for an incoming calls. According to an embodiment, thereceiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display device 160 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaydevice 160 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch, orsensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure theintensity of force incurred by the touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtainthe sound via the input device 150, or output the sound via the soundoutput device 155 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g.,an electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly coupledwith the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include,for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or anaudio interface.

A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, a HDMIconnector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector(e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to one embodiment, the power managementmodule 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a powermanagement integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device via the first network198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™,wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA))or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network,such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g.,LAN or wide area network (WAN)). These various types of communicationmodules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip),or may be implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separatefrom each other. The wireless communication module 192 may identify andauthenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network, suchas the first network 198 or the second network 199, using subscriberinformation (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI))stored in the subscriber identification module 196.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of aconductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate(e.g., PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 mayinclude a plurality of antennas. In such a case, at least one antennaappropriate for a communication scheme used in the communicationnetwork, such as the first network 198 or the second network 199, may beselected, for example, by the communication module 190 (e.g., thewireless communication module 192) from the plurality of antennas. Thesignal or the power may then be transmitted or received between thecommunication module 190 and the external electronic device via theselected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, anothercomponent (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other thanthe radiating element may be additionally formed as part of the antennamodule 197.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the electronic devices 102 and 104 may be a device of a same type as,or a different type, from the electronic device 101. According to anembodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronicdevice 101 may be executed at one or more of the external electronicdevices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response toa request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101,instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service,may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform atleast part of the function or the service. The one or more externalelectronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least partof the function or the service requested, or an additional function oran additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome ofthe performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of theoutcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, acloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computingtechnology may be used, for example.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limitedto those described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the presentdisclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit thetechnological features set forth herein to particular embodiments andinclude various changes, equivalents, or replacements for acorresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of thedrawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar orrelated elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a nouncorresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unlessthe relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, eachof such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one ofA or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least oneof A, B, or C,” may include any one of, or all possible combinations ofthe items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. Asused herein, such terms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” maybe used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another,and does not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance ororder). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a firstelement) is referred to, with or without the term “operatively” or“communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or“connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it means thatthe element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g.,wired), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used withother terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or“circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimumunit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. Forexample, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in aform of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 101).For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine (e.g.,the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one or moreinstructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a complier or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein,the term “non-transitory” simply means that the storage medium is atangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagneticwave), but this term does not differentiate between where data issemi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data istemporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., PlayStore™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more ofthe above-described components may be omitted, or one or more othercomponents may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality ofcomponents (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a singlecomponent. In such a case, according to various embodiments, theintegrated component may still perform one or more functions of each ofthe plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they areperformed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components beforethe integration. According to various embodiments, operations performedby the module, the program, or another component may be carried outsequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or moreof the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, orone or more other operations may be added.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram 200 an example of a wirelesscommunication module 192, a power management module 188, and an antennamodule 197 of an electronic device 101 according to various embodiments.Referring to FIG. 2, the wireless communication module 192 may includean MST communication module 210 or an NFC module 230, and the powermanagement module 188 may include a wireless charging module 250. Inthis case, the antenna module 297 may include a plurality of antennasincluding an MST antenna 297-1 connected to the MST communication module210, an NFC antenna 297-3 connected to the NFC module 230, and awireless charging antenna 297-5 connected to the wireless chargingmodule 250. For convenience of description, the components overlappingthose in FIG. 1 will be omitted or briefly described.

The MST communication module 210 may receive a signal including controlinformation or payment information such as card information from aprocessor 120, may generate a magnetic signal corresponding to thereceived signal through the MST antenna 297-1, and may then transmit thegenerated magnetic signal to an external electronic device 102 (e.g., aPOS device). In order to generate the magnetic signal, according to anembodiment, the MST communication module 210 may include a switchingmodule (not shown) including one or more switches connected to the MSTantenna 297-1, and may change the direction of voltage or currentsupplied to the MST antenna 297-1 according to the received signal bycontrolling the switching module. The change in the direction of thevoltage or current makes it possible to change the direction of amagnetic signal (e.g., a magnetic field) transmitted through the MSTantenna 297-1. When the magnetic signal in a state in which thedirection is changed is detected by the external electronic device 102,it may cause an effect similar to a magnetic field (e.g., waveform) thatoccurs while a magnetic card corresponding to the received signal (e.g.,card information) is swiped by the card reader of the electronic device102. According to an embodiment, payment-related information and controlsignals received in the form of the magnetic signals from the electronicdevice 102 may be transmitted to an external server 108 (e.g., a paymentserver) through, for example, a network 199.

The NFC module 230 may acquire a signal including control information orpayment information such as card information from the processor 120, andmay transmit the acquired signal to the external electronic device 102through the NFC antenna 297-3. According to an embodiment, the NFCmodule 230 may receive a signal transmitted from the external electronicdevice 102 through the NFC antenna 297-3.

The wireless charging module 250 may wirelessly transmit power to theexternal electronic device 102 (e.g., a mobile phone or a wearabledevice) through the wireless charging antenna 297-5, or may wirelesslyreceive power from the external electronic device 102 (e.g., a wirelesscharging device). The wireless charging module 250 may support one ormore of various wireless charging methods including, for example, amagnetic resonant method or a magnetic inductive method.

According to an embodiment, some of the MST antenna 297-1, the NFCantenna 297-3, or the wireless charging antenna 297-5 may share at leasta part of a radiating unit with each other. For example, the radiatingunit of the MST antenna 297-1 may be used as the radiating unit of theNFC antenna 297-3 or the wireless charging antenna 297-5, and viceversa. In this case, the antenna module 297 may include a switchingcircuitry (not shown) configured to selectively connect (e.g., close) ordisconnect (e.g., open) at least some of the antennas 297-1, 297-3, or297-5 under the control of the wireless communication module 192 (e.g.,the MST communication module 210 or the NFC module 230) or the powermanagement module 188 (e.g., the wireless charging module 250). Forexample, when the electronic device 101 uses a wireless chargingfunction, the NFC module 230 or the wireless charging module 250 maytemporarily disconnect, from the NFC antenna 297-3, at least a partialregion of the radiating unit shared by the NFC antenna 297-3 and thewireless charging antenna 297-5, and may connect the same to thewireless charging antenna 297-5.

According to an embodiment, at least one function of the MSTcommunication module 210, the NFC module 230, or the wireless chargingmodule 250 may be controlled by an external processor (e.g., theprocessor 120). According to an embodiment, designated functions (e.g.,payment function) of the MST communication module 210 or the NFC module230 may be performed in a trusted execution environment (TEE). The TEEaccording to various embodiments may form an execution environment towhich at least some designated regions of the memory 130 are allocatedin order to be used to perform a function that requires, for example, arelatively high level of security (e.g., a function related to afinancial transaction or personal information). In this case, access tothe designated region may be restrictively allowed in a distinguishablemanner according to, for example, a subject accessing the designatedregion or an application executed in the TEE.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an example electronic device 301according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

The electronic device 301 may include a processor 320, a memory 330, aninput device 350, a sound output device 355, a display device 360, anaudio module 370, an interface 377, a scanning device 380, acommunication module 390, an antenna module 397, and an antenna 398. Thecomponents of the electronic device 301 of FIG. 3 may be similar to orthe same as those of the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1.

The processor 320 may control at least one other component (e.g.,hardware or software component) of the electronic device 301 connectedto the processor 320 by executing, for example, software and/or aprogram, and may perform various data processing or operations.

According to an embodiment, as at least part of data processing oroperations, the processor 320 may load commands or data received fromanother component (e.g., the communication module 390) into a volatilememory, may process the commands or data stored in the volatile memory,and may store the resulting data in a nonvolatile memory.

The memory 330 may store various types of data used by at least onecomponent (e.g., the processor 320 and/or the communication module 390)of the electronic device 301. The data may include, for example, inputdata or output data for software and/or commands related thereto. Thememory 330 may include a volatile memory and/or a nonvolatile memory.

The input device 350 may receive commands or data to be used for thecomponents (e.g., the processor 320) of the electronic device 301 fromoutside the electronic device 301 (e.g., a user). The input device 350may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or adigital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output device 355 may output an sound signal to the outside ofthe electronic device 301. The sound output device 355 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for generalpurposes such as multimedia playback or recording playback, and thereceiver can be used to receive incoming calls. According to anembodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from the speakeror as a part of the speaker.

The display device 360 may visually provide information to the outsideof the electronic device 301 (e.g., a user). The display device 360 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector and acontrol circuitry for controlling the corresponding device. According toan embodiment, the display device 360 may include a touch circuitryconfigured to sense a touch, or a sensor circuitry (e.g., a pressuresensor) configured to measure the strength of a force generated by thetouch.

The audio module 370 may convert sound into an electrical signal or anelectrical signal into sound. According to an embodiment, the audiomodule 370 may acquire sound through the input device 350, or may outputsound through an external electronic device (e.g., a speaker or aheadphone) which is directly wired, or wirelessly connected to the soundoutput device 355 or the electronic device 301.

The interface 377 may support one or more designated protocols that maybe used for the electronic device 301 to be connected directly orwirelessly to the external electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101 and/or the electronic device 304). According to anembodiment, the interface 377 may include, for example, a highdefinition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB)interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

The communication module 390 may support establishment of a direct(e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channelbetween the electronic device 301 and the external electronic device(e.g., the electronic device 101 and/or the electronic device 304) andmay support communication execution through the establishedcommunication channel. The communication module 390 may operateindependently of the processor 320 (e.g., an application processor) andmay include one or more communication processors that support direct(e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 390 may include awireless communication module (e.g., a cellular communication module, anear field communication (NFC) communication module and/or a GNSScommunication module) or a wired communication module (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module and/or a power linecommunication module). Among these communication modules, thecorresponding communication module may communicate with the externalelectronic device through a short-range communication network such asNFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi direct and/or infrared data association (IrDA),and/or a telecommunications network such as a cellular network, theInternet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or WAN). These various typesof communication modules may be integrated into a single component(e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented with a plurality ofseparate components (e.g., a plurality of chips).

The antenna module 397 may transmit or receive a signal or power to andfrom the outside (e.g., an external electronic device). According to anembodiment, the antenna module 397 may include one antenna including aradiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on asubstrate (e.g., PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module397 may include a plurality of antennas 398.

The antenna module 397 may include a switching circuitry (not shown)configured to selectively connect (e.g., close) or disconnect (e.g.,open) at least some of the antennas 398 under the control of thewireless communication module (e.g., the MST communication module 210 ofFIG. 2 or the NFC module 230 of FIG. 2). The antenna module 397 mayselectively connect (e.g., close) or disconnect (e.g., open) the atleast some of the antennas 398 under the control of the wirelesscommunication module (e.g., the MST communication module 210 in FIG. 2or the NFC module 230 in FIG. 2) to transmit or receive signals.

The scanning device 380 may communicate with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) using short-range wirelesscommunication (e.g., NFC communication), and may receive information ona unique identifier of the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 101) from the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 101). The scanning device 380 may be included in thecommunication module 390 and/or the input device 350 as a component ofthe communication module 390 and/or the input device 350.

At least some of the components may be connected to each other through acommunication method (e.g., a bus, general purpose input and output(GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processorinterface (MIPI)) between peripheral devices, and may exchange signals(e.g., commands or data) with each other.

FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of an example operation for the electronicdevice 301 to identify a product ID of an external electronic device(e.g., the electronic device 101) according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure

The electronic device 301 may communicate with an external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) using an NFC module included inthe communication module 390. The electronic device 301 may transmitinformation related to the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 101) from the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 101) based on NFC communication.

The electronic device 301 may transmit the information related to theexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) to anexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 304) capable ofstoring a database as human interface device (HID) information. Theexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) maycommunicate with the electronic device 301 based on NFC communication bydriving power. According to various embodiments, the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) may communicate with theelectronic device 301 based on a passive NFC module that does notrequire power.

FIG. 5A illustrates a flowchart of an example method for an electronicdevice to identify information on an external electronic device (e.g.,the electronic device 101) based on NFC according to various embodimentsof the disclosure, and FIG. 5B illustrates a flowchart of an examplemethod for an electronic device to identify information on an externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) based on NFCaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure.

In operation 501, the electronic device 301 may perform a field-onoperation under the control of the processor 320.

In operation 501, the field-on operation may be an operation for theelectronic device 301 to transmit a signal of an NFC band through thecommunication module 390 (e.g., an NFC module) under the control of theprocessor 320.

In operation 501, the field-on operation may be an operation for theelectronic device 301 to generate a wireless frequency field through thecommunication module 390 (e.g., the NFC module) under the control of theprocessor 320. The field-on operation of the electronic device 301 maybe an initial operation for performing NFC.

When it is detected that the signal of the NFC band is transmitted fromthe electronic device 301 under the control of the processor 120, inoperation 561, the external electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101) may transmit a response signal to the electronic device 301through the communication module 190 (e.g., the NFC module). Theresponse signal may be a signal indicating that the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) is close to the electronicdevice 301.

In operation 503, the electronic device 301 may perform a target checkoperation under the control of the processor 320. The target may be, forexample, the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device101). The target check operation may be an operation of checking whethershort-range communication (e.g., NFC communication) is possible from theexternal electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) through thecommunication module 390 (e.g., the NFC module).

In operation 563, the external electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101) may transmit a target response signal to the electronicdevice 301 through the communication module 190 in response to a targetcheck request from the electronic device 301 under the control of theprocessor 120. The target response signal may be a signal indicatingthat short-range communication (e.g., NFC communication) is possiblethrough the communication module 390 (e.g., the NFC module).

In operation 505, when receiving the target response signal from theexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) under thecontrol of the processor 320, the electronic device 301 may request anNFC identifier. The NFC identifier may be information that can identifythe NFC module.

When exchanging data through communication, the electronic device 301and the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) mayexchange data using an NFC data exchange format (NDEF). In NFCcommunication, the NFC ID may include information on the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) or information onthe NFC module.

The NFC ID according to various embodiments of the disclosure isobtained by changing a data field system of the NFC ID through amanufacturer or a standard forum, and may include information on theexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) and mayfurther include flag information for error checking.

In operation 505, the electronic device 301 may request the NFC IDthrough the communication module 390 (e.g., the NFC communication) underthe control of the processor 320.

In operation 565, the external electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101) may transmit the NFC ID to the electronic device 301 throughthe communication module 190 (e.g., the NFC module) under the control ofthe processor 120.

When receiving an ID transmission request of the external electronic(e.g., the electronic device 101) from the electronic device 301, inoperation 565, the external electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101) may transmit the NFC ID to the electronic device 301 throughthe communication module 190 (e.g., the NFC module) under the control ofthe processor 120.

In operation 507, the electronic device 301 may read a unique identifier(UID) from the NFC ID under the control of the processor 320 and mayidentify a communication protocol type. The UID may include a uniquenumber of the NFC module included in the external electronic device(e.g., the electronic device 101) and/or a manufacturer ID code.

In operation 509, the electronic device 301 may identify flaginformation from the NFC ID under the control of the processor 320.

The flag information according to various embodiments of the disclosuremay be flag information for identifying whether the target ismisrecognized and/or recognized in a duplicated manner, and may beinformation created by the manufacturer when the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) stores the NFC ID informationand/or generates the NFC ID information.

In operation 509, the electronic device 301 may identify the flaginformation from the NFC ID under the control of the processor 320.

For example, in operation 509, the electronic device 301 may determinewhether the flag information matches the flag in the NFC ID under thecontrol of the processor 320. When it is determined that the flagmatches the flag in the NFC ID, it may be determined that the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) is initiallyrecognized. When it is determined that the flag does not match the flagin the NFC ID, it may be determined that the external electronic device(e.g., the electronic device 101) is recognized in a duplicated manner.When it is determined that the flag matches the flag in the NFC ID, itmay be determined that the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 101) is normally recognized. When it is determinedthat the flat does not match the flag in the NFC ID, it may bedetermined that the external electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101) is misrecognized.

In operation 509, when it is determined that the flag informationmatches the flag in the NFC ID, the electronic device 301 may branch tooperation 511 under the control of the processor 320.

In operation 509, when it is determined that the flag information doesnot match the flag in the NFC ID, the electronic device 301 may branchto operation 553 under the control of the processor 320.

In operation 509, when it is determined that the flag informationmatches a specific value in the NFC ID, the electronic device 301 maybranch to operation 511 under the control of the processor 320.

In operation 509, when it is determined that the flag information doesnot match the specific value in the NFC ID, the electronic device 301may branch to operation 553 under the control of the processor 320.

In operation 509, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may identify the flag information from the NFC ID, and maybranch to operation 511 when it is determined that the NFC ID isinitially recognized and/or normally recognized.

In operation 509, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may identify the flag information from the NFC ID, and maybranch to operation 553 when it is determined that the NFC ID isrecognized in a duplicated manner and/or misrecognized.

In operation 553, the electronic device 301 may determine whether theexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) is detectedwithin a predetermined time period under the control of the processor320.

In operation 553, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may determine whether the NFC ID of the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) is detected within thepredetermined time period while performing monitoring.

In operation 553, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 551 when it is determined that theexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) is detectedexceeding the predetermined time period.

In operation 553, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 551 when the NFC ID of the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) is detectedexceeding the predetermined time period.

In operation 553, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 555 when the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) is detected within thepredetermined time period.

In operation 553, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 555 when the NFC ID of the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) is detected withinthe predetermined time period. In various embodiments, the predeterminedtime period may be around 300 ms.

In operation 551, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may configure the flag of the NFC ID of the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) to a specific valueand may branch to operation 555 when the NFC ID of the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) is detectedexceeding the predetermined time period. The configuring the flag of theNFC ID of the external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101)to the specific value may be an operation of configuring the externalelectronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) to be recognized for thefirst time.

In operation 553, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 555 when the NFC ID of the externalelectronic device (e.g., electronic device 101) is detected within thepredetermined time period.

In operation 555, the electronic device 301 may perform a field-offoperation under the control of the processor 320. The field-offoperation may be an operation of stopping transmission of a signal of anNFC band through the communication module 390 (e.g., an NFC module).

When it is determined that the NFC ID is initially recognized and/ornormally recognized, in operation 511, the electronic device 301 mayconfigure the flag of the NFC ID to a value other than the specificvalue under the control of the processor 320. The configuring the flagof the NFC ID to the value other than the specific value may be anoperation of configuring the external electronic device (e.g.,electronic device 101) to have been recognized.

In operation 513, the electronic device 301 may configure acommunication protocol under the control of the processor 320. Inoperation 513, the electronic device 301 may configure the communicationprotocol of the NFC module under the control of the processor 320.

In operation 513, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may request the communication protocol from the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) through thecommunication module (e.g., the NFC module), and may receive a responsein response to the communication protocol configuration request from theexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101).

In operation 567, under the control of the processor 120, the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) may transmit theresponse to the communication protocol configuration request to theelectronic device 301 through the communication module (e.g., the NFCmodule)

In operation 515, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may request device information from the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) to select the deviceinformation through the communication module (e.g., the NFC module), andmay receive the device information from the from the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101). The device information may beinformation on the electronic device 101, for example, and may beinformation included in the NFC ID.

In operation 569, under the control of the processor 120, the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) may transmit thedevice information to the electronic device 301 through thecommunication module (e.g., the NFC module)

In operation 517, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may perform a word check operation related to the deviceinformation included in the NFC ID. The word check operation may be anoperation of checking the device information included in the NFC ID.

In operation 517, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may perform the word check operation in the NFC ID. Inoperation 517, the electronic device 301 may determine whether there isa word value for the device information in the NFC ID, under the controlof the processor 320.

In operation 517, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 519 when it is determined that thereis the word value in the NFC ID.

In operation 517, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 523 when it is determined that thereis no word value in the NFC ID.

In operation 519, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may identify information on an ID length in the NFC ID. TheID length is data that can identify the length of the NFC ID and may bedata that can identify an error check.

In operation 519, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 521 when it is determined that thereis the information on the ID length in the NFC ID.

In operation 519, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 549 when it is determined that thereis no information on the ID length in the NFC ID.

When it is determined that the information on the ID length in the NFCID is incorrect, in operation 549, the electronic device 301 may performan error output operation under the control of the processor 320.

In operation 549, under the control of the processor 320, the operationof outputting the error may be an operation for the electronic device301 to output a warning sound (e.g., a beep sound) through the soundoutput device 355 and/or to output information on the error through thedisplay device 360. The operation of outputting information on the errorthrough the display device 360 may be an operation of outputting lightof a specific color through an LED.

In operation 549, under the control of the processor 320, the operationof outputting the error may be an operation for the electronic device301 to output an auditory signal for the error through the sound outputdevice 355, and/or to output a visual signal for the error through thedisplay device 360. The operation of outputting the error through thedisplay device 360 may be an operation of outputting light of a specificcolor through an LED.

When it is determined that there is the information on the ID length inthe NFC ID, in operation 521, the electronic device 301 may output theNFC ID under the control of the processor 320. In various embodiments,it is determined that the information on the ID length in the NFC ID iscorrect, in operation 521, the electronic device 301 may output the NFCID under the control of the processor 320. The operation of outputtingthe NFC ID may be an operation of outputting a warning sound (e.g., abeep sound) through the sound output device 355 and/or an operation ofoutputting information on a path through the display device 360. Theoperation of outputting the information on the path through the displaydevice 360 may be an operation of outputting light of a specific colorthrough an LED.

When the ID is read by the NFC module, in operation 547, the electronicdevice 301 may transmit the NFC ID to the external electronic device(e.g., the electronic device 304) as a human interface device (HID)under the control of the processor 320, and may branch to operation 555.

When it is determined that there is no word value in the ID transmittedto the NFC module, in operation 523, under the control of the processor320, the electronic device 301 may request information for selecting anNFC tag type from the external electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101) and may receive the information on the tag type from theexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101).

When the information on the tag type is received, in operation 525, theelectronic device 301 may check word information included in the tagtype under the control of the processor 320.

In operation 525, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may determine whether there is the word information includedin the tag type and/or whether there is an error, and may branch tooperation 527.

In operation 525, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 555 when it is determined there is noword information included in the tag type or that there is the error.

When it is determined that the word information exists or is correct, inoperation 527, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may request a CC file from the external electronic device(e.g., the electronic device 101) and may receive the CC file from theexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101).

The CC file is a capability container file and may include data relatedto data management as data included in an NFC tag platform.

In operation 573, the external electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 101) may transmit the CC file to the electronic device 301 underthe control of the processor 120.

When receiving the CC file, in operation 529, the electronic device 301may check field information included in the CC file under the control ofthe processor 320.

In operation 529, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 555 when the field information is notincluded in the CC file and/or is determined to be incorrect.

In operation 529, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 531 when the field information isincluded in the CC file and/or is determined to be correct.

In operation 531, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may request a proprietary file of the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) when it is determined that thefield information is included in the CC file or the field information iscorrect, and may receive the proprietary file from the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101).

When the proprietary file is received, in operation 533, the electronicdevice 301 may check the field information included in the proprietaryfile under the control of the processor 320.

In operation 533, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 535 when it is determined that thefield information is included in the proprietary file and/or the fieldinformation is correct.

In operation 533, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 555 when it is determined that thefield information is not included in the proprietary file and/or thefield information is incorrect.

In operation 535, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may request binary information from the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) to read the binary information,and may receive the binary information from the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101).

When the binary information is received from the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101), in operation 537, theelectronic device 301 may check the word information included in thebinary information under the control of the processor 320.

In operation 537, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 555 when it is determined that theword information is not included in the binary information and/or theword information is an error.

In operation 537, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 555 when it is determined that ananswer does not include a response value as a target included in thebinary information and/or the answer is an error.

In operation 537, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 539 when it is determined that theanswer includes the response value as the target included in the binaryinformation and/or the answer is correct.

In operation 539, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may request data through the communication module 390 (e.g.,the NFC module) and may receive the data from the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101). The data may be information onthe external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101).

In operation 579, under the control of the processor 120, the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) may transmit datainformation to the electronic device 301 in response to the data requestfrom the electronic device 301.

When receiving the data from the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 101), in operation 541, the electronic device 301 mayidentify the information on the ID length in the NFC ID under thecontrol of the processor 320. The ID length is data that can identifythe length of the NFC ID, and may be information that can identify errorcheck.

In operation 541, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 543 when it is determined that thereis the information on the ID length in the NFC ID.

In operation 541, under the control of the processor 320, the electronicdevice 301 may branch to operation 555 when it is determined that thereis no information on the ID length in the NFC ID.

When it is determined that there is the information on the ID length inthe data, in operation 543, the electronic device 301 may output the NFCID under the control of the processor 320. The operation of outputtingthe NFC ID may be an operation of outputting a warning sound (e.g., beepsound) through the sound output device 355 and/or outputting theinformation on the path through the display device 360. The operation ofoutputting the information on the path through the display device 360may be an operation of outputting light of a specific color through anLED.

The operation of outputting the NFC ID may be an operation of outputtingan auditory signal for the path through the sound output device 355and/or outputting the information on the path through the display device360. This may be an operation of outputting the information on the pathas a visual signal through the display device 360.

When the NFC ID is output, in operation 545, the electronic device 301may transmit the NFC ID to the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 304) as HID under the control of the processor 320,and may branch to operation 555.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of an example external electronic device101 according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

The external electronic device 101 mentioned in FIG. 6 may be similar tothe external electronic device 101 mentioned in FIG. 4. However, theexternal electronic device 101 mentioned in FIG. 6 may include a passiveNFC module that does not include a separate power source, and thus maybe attached to a packaging 601 of a product.

The electronic device 301 may communicate with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 101) using the NFC module includedin the communication module 390. The electronic device 301 may transmitinformation related to the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 101) to the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 101) based on NFC communication.

The electronic device 301 may transmit the information related to theexternal electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 101) to theexternal electronic device (e.g., electronic device 304) capable ofstoring a database as HID information.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. The electronicdevice according to embodiments of the disclosure is not limited tothose described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the disclosure andthe terms used therein are not intended to limit the technologicalfeatures set forth herein to particular embodiments and include variouschanges, equivalents, and/or alternatives for a correspondingembodiment. With regard to the description of the drawings, similarreference numerals may be used to designate similar or relevantelements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a nouncorresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unlessthe relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, eachof such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one ofA or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least oneof A, B, or C,” may include all possible combinations of the itemsenumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. As usedherein, such terms as “a first”, “a second”, “the first”, and “thesecond” may be used to simply distinguish a corresponding element fromanother, and does not limit the elements in other aspect (e.g.,importance or order). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., afirst element) is referred to, with or without the term “operatively” or“communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or“connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it means thatthe element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g.,wired), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, and may be interchangeably used withother terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “component,” or“circuit”. The “module” may be a minimum unit of a single integratedcomponent adapted to perform one or more functions, or a part thereof.For example, according to an embodiment, the “module” may be implementedin the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., the internal memory 136 or externalmemory 138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device101). For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine(e.g., the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one ormore instructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a complier or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein,the term “non-transitory” simply means that the storage medium is atangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagneticwave), but this term does not differentiate between where data issemi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data istemporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., Play Store™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each element (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described elements may include a single entity ormultiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more of theabove-described elements may be omitted, or one or more other elementsmay be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of elements(e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single element. Insuch a case, according to various embodiments, the integrated elementmay still perform one or more functions of each of the plurality ofelements in the same or similar manner as they are performed by acorresponding one of the plurality of elements before the integration.According to various embodiments, operations performed by the module,the program, or another element may be carried out sequentially, inparallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operationsmay be executed in a different order or omitted, or one or more otheroperations may be added.

Although the present disclosure has been described with variousembodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to oneskilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompasssuch changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for identifying information on anexternal electronic device based on near field communication (NFC), themethod comprising: transmitting a signal of an NFC band to the externalelectronic device; identifying whether the external electronic device iscapable of NFC; in response to identifying that the external electronicdevice is capable of NFC, requesting an NFC identifier (ID) from theexternal electronic device; receiving, from the external electronicdevice, the NFC ID; identifying a communication protocol type based onreading a unique ID from the NFC ID; identifying flag informationincluded in the NFC ID; and determining whether the external electronicdevice is initially recognized or normally recognized through the flaginformation.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in responseto determining that the external electronic device is recognized in aduplicated manner or misrecognized determining whether the NFC ID isdetected within a predetermined time period.
 3. The method of claim 2,further comprising: stopping transmission of the signal of the NFC bandto the external electronic device in response to detecting the NFC IDwithin a predetermined time period in a case in which it is determinedthat the external electronic device is recognized in a duplicated manneror misrecognized; and configuring the NFC ID to be initially recognizedor normally recognized and stopping transmission of the signal of theNFC band to the external electronic device in response to detecting thatthe NFC ID is exceeding the predetermined time period in a case in whichit is determined that the external electronic device is recognized in aduplicated manner or misrecognized.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: in response to determining that the external electronicdevice is initially recognized or normally recognized through the flaginformation, requesting a communication protocol configuration from theexternal electronic device, and receiving the communication protocolconfiguration from the external electronic device; requestinginformation for device selection from the external electronic device;receiving device information from the external electronic device;determining whether there is a word value for the device informationreceived from the external electronic device; in response to determiningthat there is a word value for the device information received from theexternal electronic device, identifying an ID length of the NFC ID, tocheck for an error; and in response to determining there is no errorbased on identifying the ID length, outputting the NFC ID.
 5. The methodof claim 4, further comprising: in response to determining the errorbased on identifying the ID length, outputting the error.
 6. The methodof claim 5, wherein the outputting the NFC ID further comprisesoutputting at least one of an auditory signal and a visual signal. 7.The method of claim 4, further comprising: transmitting the NFC ID, ashuman interface device (HID) information, to a second externalelectronic device, wherein the second electronic device is configured tomanage a database.
 8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:receiving at least one piece of information among a tag type, a CC file,a proprietary file, or binary information from the external electronicdevice to check word information in response to no word information ofthe device information being received from the external electronicdevice; requesting data from the external electronic device andreceiving the data from the external electronic device in response tothe word information existing in the at least one piece of informationamong the tag type, the CC file, the proprietary file, or the binaryinformation; and stopping transmission of the signal of the NFC band tothe external electronic device in response to determining that the wordinformation does not exist in the at least one piece of information. 9.The method of claim 8, further comprising: identifying the ID length ofthe NFC ID and information to check an error in response to receivingthe data from the external electronic device; outputting the NFC ID inresponse to determining that there is no error by identifying the IDlength; outputting the error in response to determining that there isthe error by identifying the ID length; and transmitting the NFC ID, ashuman interface device (HID) information, to a second externalelectronic device, wherein the second electronic device is configured tomanage a database.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the outputting theNFC ID further comprises outputting at least one of an auditory signaland a visual signal.
 11. An electronic device comprising: acommunication module configured to include an NFC module; a memory; anda processor operatively coupled to the memory, wherein the processor isconfigured to: transmit a signal of an NFC band to an externalelectronic device through the NFC module; identify whether the externalelectronic device is capable of NFC; request an NFC identifier (ID) fromthe external electronic device through the NFC module; receive the NFCID from the external electronic device; read a unique ID from the NFC IDto identify a communication protocol type; identify flag informationincluded in the NFC ID; and determine whether the external electronicdevice is initially recognized or normally recognized through the flaginformation.
 12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein theprocessor is further configured to determine whether the NFC ID isdetected within a predetermined time period in response to determiningthat the external electronic device is recognized in a duplicated manneror misrecognized.
 13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: stop transmission of the signal ofthe NFC band to the external electronic device in response to the NFC IDbeing detected within a predetermined time period in a case in which itis determined that the external electronic device is recognized in aduplicated manner or misrecognized; and configure the NFC ID to beinitially recognized or normally recognized and stops transmission ofthe signal of the NFC band to the external electronic device in responseto detecting that the NFC ID is exceeding the predetermined time periodin a case in which it is determined that the external electronic deviceis recognized in a duplicated manner or misrecognized.
 14. Theelectronic device of claim 11, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: in response to determining that the external electronicdevice is initially recognized or normally recognized through the flaginformation, request a communication protocol configuration from theexternal electronic device, and receive the communication protocolconfiguration from the external electronic device; request informationfor device selection from the external electronic device; receive deviceinformation from the external electronic device through the NFC module;determine whether there is a word value for the device informationreceived from the external electronic device; in response to determiningthat there is a word value for the device information received from theexternal electronic device, identify an ID length of the NFC ID to checkfor an error; and in response to determining there is no error based onidentifying the ID length, control the NFC ID to output.
 15. Theelectronic device of claim 14, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: in response to determining the error based on identifyingthe ID length, control the error to output.
 16. The electronic device ofclaim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to control the NFCID to output as at least one of an auditory signal and a visual signal.17. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: control the NFC ID to be transmitted, by a humaninterface device (HID) connection, to a second external electronicdevice, wherein the second electronic device is configured to manage adatabase.
 18. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processoris further configured to: receive at least one piece of informationamong a tag type, a CC file, a proprietary file, or binary informationfrom the external electronic device through the NFC module to check wordinformation in response to there being no word information of the deviceinformation received from the external electronic device; request datafrom the external electronic device in response to the word informationexisting in the at least one piece of information among the tag type,the CC file, the proprietary file, or the binary information; and stoptransmission of the signal of the NFC band to the external electronicdevice through the NFC module in response to determining that the wordinformation does not exist in the at least one piece of informationamong the tag type, the CC file, the proprietary file, or the binaryinformation.
 19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: identify the ID length of the NFC IDand information to check an error in response to receiving the data fromthe external electronic device; output the NFC ID in response todetermining that that there is no error by identifying the ID length;output the error in response to determining that there is the error byidentifying the ID length; and transmit the NFC ID, as human interfacedevice (HID) information to a second external electronic device, whereinthe second electronic device is configured to manage a database.
 20. Theelectronic device of claim 19, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to control the NFC ID to output at least one of an auditorysignal and a visual signal.